The 2006 King of the Ring was the 17th edition of the

King of the Ring tournament The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don Mu ...

produced by

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWE). The tournament was held between April 14 and May 21, 2006 and was the first tournament conducted since the 2002 tournament which was won by

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...

. This was the first time the King of the Ring tournament was not conducted as part of the former pay-per-view event that bore the tournament's name since the 1991 tournament, which was won by

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

. Unlike previous tournaments, this King of the Ring was made exclusive to the

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

brand division and only wrestlers contracted with the brand could compete. The 2006 tournament final was held at

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

on May 21 and was won by

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...

, who defeated

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...

in the final and began referring to himself as "King Booker" until he left WWE in October 2007.

Background

The

is a

single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

that was established by

(WWE) in 1985 with the winner being crowned "King of the Ring." It was held annually until 1991, with the exception of 1990. These early tournaments were held as special non-televised

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

s and were held when the promotion was still called the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed to WWE in 2002). In 1993, the promotion began to produce the King of the Ring tournament as a self-titled

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

(PPV). Unlike the previous non-televised events, the PPV did not feature all of the tournament's matches. Instead, several of the qualifying matches preceded the event with the final few matches then taking place at the pay-per-view. There were also other matches that took place at the event as it was a traditional three-hour pay-per-view.

King of the Ring King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotio ...

continued as the annual June PPV until the 2002 event, which was the final King of the Ring produced as a PPV. After a four-year hiatus, the tournament returned in 2006 and was held exclusively for wrestlers from the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

. The 2006 tournament was the 17th King of the Ring tournament. The quarter-final and semi-final rounds took place across episodes of ''

'' from April 14 to May 12 with the final round taking place at the SmackDown!-exclusive pay-per-view,

, on May 21.

Matches

Quarter-Finals

The first quarter-final match in the 2006 King of the Ring tournament took place on April 14, 2006 edition of ''SmackDown!'' between

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...

and

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...

. Angle dominated the earlier part of the match by a series of clotheslines and a

Belly To Belly Suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling feature ...

to Orton. Angle applied an

Ankle Lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are fe ...

earlier on in the match but Orton escaped the move. Orton gained momentum and attacked Angle's arm and shoulder, injuring them. Orton continued to tear Angle's arm and shoulder until Angle attempted a Sunset Flip and reversed it into an Ankle Lock but Orton did not submit and worked on Angle's injured arm and shoulder. Angle eventually sent Orton out of the ring. As Orton returned into the ring, Angle performed three

German Suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featu ...

es and attempted an Olympic Slam, which he calls ''Angle Slam''. Orton countered it into an Inverted Backbreaker. Orton tried to hit the ''RKO'' but Angle blocked the move and applied an Ankle Lock on Orton, forcing him to submit to the hold. After the match, Angle applied two more Ankle Locks on Orton, injuring his ankle in storyline. The second quarter-final match took place on April 21 edition of ''SmackDown!'' between

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...

and

. The match went back and forth until Booker earned momentum after Hardy missed a

Moonsault A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. It was innovated by Mando Guerrero. Much of its popularity in both Japanese and American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being u ...

. Booker dominated the match until Hardy regained momentum and attempted a Front Facelock into Cutter, which he calls ''Twist of Fate''. Booker reversed by

whipping Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on an ...

Hardy. Booker's wife and

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "vale ...

Sharmell Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman (born November 2, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestling valet, dancer, beauty queen, and professional wrestler. As the wife of Booker T, she is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE ...

pushed the rope down and Hardy fell on the ground. Booker tried to finish Hardy but Hardy executed a

Reverse DDT In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock/inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent ...

. Booker regained his momentum and executed a Lifting Side Slam, which he calls ''Book End''. Booker tried to finish the match by attempting a Scissors Kick on Hardy but Hardy avoided the move and executed a Side Slam, which he calls ''Side Effect''. Sharmell joined the ring and distracted the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

. Hardy tried to execute a Twist of Fate but Booker took advantage of the situation and low blowed Hardy to win the match. The third quarter-final match took place on April 28 edition of ''SmackDown!'' between

and

Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator/analyst, coach, and talent scout. He is b ...

. Lashley used several of his moves to put down Henry but Henry dominated him and easily performed his moves on Lashley. Lashley tried to defeat Henry by attempting an Inverted Front Powerslam, which he called ''Dominator'' but Henry reversed the move. In the closing moments of the match, Henry tried to clothesline Lashley but Lashley pulled the ropes down and Henry crashed to the floor. His head crashed on the announce table and Henry was knocked out. He was unable to enter the ring and lost by count-out. As a result, Lashley was awarded the victory. However, after the match, Henry splashed Lashley into the ringpost. The final quarter-final match took place on May 5 edition of ''SmackDown!'' between

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the WWE, World Wrestlin ...

and

Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay *Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier *Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor *Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby play ...

. The match went back and forth until Benoit started performing German suplexes on Finlay and attempted a Diving Headbutt on Finlay but Finlay avoided the move. Finlay started throwing

weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

into the ring. The referee threw the weapons outside the ring. Finlay took advantage and grabbed his

shillelagh A shillelagh ( ; ga, sail éille or , "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore. Other ...

. He tried to hit Benoit with the shillelagh but Benoit avoided the move and sent Finlay outside the ring on the floor. Finlay took the weapon himself outside the ring. The referee caught the shillelagh and began disposing it. Finlay took advantage and hit Benoit with a chair. Finlay followed by executing a Kryptonite Krunch Piledriver, which he calls ''Celtic Cross'' for the victory.

Semi-Finals

The semi-final round of the King of the Ring tournament on May 12, 2006 edition of ''SmackDown!''. The first scheduled match was between Kurt Angle and Booker T. Angle suffered injured ribs after being attacked by Mark Henry during his World Heavyweight Championship title shot against

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

. Angle was escorted out of the arena by the security before his scheduled semi-final match against Booker. As a result, Booker was awarded the victory by forfeit and advanced to the final round of the tournament. The only semi-final match that took place was between Bobby Lashley and Finlay. Finlay and Lashley continued to wrestle each other and performed their moves. Lashley tried to finish the match by attempting a

Spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

on Finlay. Finlay avoided the move and tossed a chair into the ring. The referee began disposing the chair. Finlay took advantage and grabbed his shillelagh but the referee caught Finlay with it and disposed it. Finlay caught a chair and hit Lashley with it. Finlay tossed the chair outside the ring but when he turned back, Lashley speared him to win the match and advance to the final of the King of the Ring tournament against Booker T.

Final

The final round of the King of the Ring tournament took place at

between Booker T and Bobby Lashley. Lashley took control early on in the match, until he hit the ringpost with a

Shoulder Block Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

attempt. This allowed Booker to take control, although Lashley quickly countered with a Belly To Belly Suplex. Before he could capitalise, however, Sharmell distracted Lashley. After some more back and forth offense, Sharmell caused another distraction, allowing Booker's associate Finlay to interfere in the match and hit Lashley with a shillelagh. Following that, Booker then hit a Scissors Kick on Lashley and pinned him to win the tournament. Lashley was outraged, however, and speared Booker through a throne to gain some revenge.

Aftermath

Many

rivalries A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

were created because of the matches in the King of the Ring tournament. Two of the participants of the tournament,

and

were scheduled to a match at

because Finlay cheated to defeat Benoit in their tournament quarter-final match. At Judgment Day, Benoit defeated Finlay by forcing him to submit to a

Crossface Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

, which Benoit called ''Crippler Crossface''. As a result of winning the 2006 King of the Ring tournament,

began wrestling under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

"King Booker". Booker had cheated to defeat

in the final of the King of the Ring tournament at Judgment Day, which led to a feud between Lashley and Booker. The two competed in several matches throughout June. Following his feud with Lashley, Booker earned immediate success by winning the World Heavyweight Championship from

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...

. The next King of the Ring tournament was held in 2008. The entirety of the 2008 tournament was held as a special episode of ''

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

''. The tournament was also an interbrand tournament and included wrestlers from all three of WWE's brands at the time:

, SmackDown, and

ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...

Locations

Tournament brackets

The tournament took place between April 14 and May 21, 2006. The tournament brackets were

References

External links

King of the Ring 2006 Tournament Brackets
{{WWE Tournaments 2006 in professional wrestling

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

April 2006 events in the United States May 2006 events in the United States